Enhancing Gender Statistics

Past Event

The National Data Innovation Centre (NDIC) at NCAER, in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), organized a two-day conference on “Enhancing Gender Statistics” on 15th and 16th January 2026 at the NCAER campus in New Delhi.

The inaugural address by Dr Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI, drew on several flagship government schemes to highlight the importance of gender-disaggregated data in statistical systems. Against the backdrop of increasing policy attention to gender-responsive planning and monitoring, the conference sought to examine how existing data systems can be strengthened to better capture women’s economic and social realities and to inform evidence-based decision-making.

Across five technical sessions and a thematic presentation, chaired by Shri P.R. Meshram (Director General, Data Governance, MoSPI), Smt. Geeta Singh Rathore (Director General, NSS), Dr Shamika Ravi (Member, PM-EAC), Shri Subash Chandra Malik (Additional Director General, SSD, MoSPI) and Dr Sonalde Desai (Professor & Centre Director, NCAER-NDIC), participants drew on survey experience, administrative data, and applied research to guide the discussions.

Organized by a Planning Committee co-chaired by Dr Sonalde Desai (Professor and Centre Director, NCAER-NDIC), Dr Pallavi Choudhuri (Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, NCAER-NDIC) and Shri Subash Chandra Malik (Additional Director General, SSD, MoSPI), the conference brought together policymakers, researchers and statisticians from NCAER, MoSPI and other eminent institutions including Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), World Bank, ILO, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, Azim Premji University, O.P. Jindal Global University, Population Foundation of India and the United Nations Office for India to deliberate on key conceptual, methodological, and policy challenges associated with the collection and use of data from women and about women.

Key takeaways:

Strengthening the integration of survey data, administrative records, and applied research as a key pathway to enhancing the measurement and policy relevance of gender statistics.
Improving the measurement of women’s economic empowerment, including labour force participation, livelihoods, access to resources, and participation in skilling and STEM education for the development of future data systems.
Opportunities to refine data collection instruments and administrative systems to minimize gender bias and improve the quality of gender-disaggregated data.
Systematically incorporate gender perspectives into emerging data dimensions, including innovative survey methodologies and evolving labour market contexts.
Advancing gender-responsive monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals through improved indicators and reporting frameworks.
The value of sustained collaboration among statistical agencies, researchers, and policymakers to drive methodological innovation and ensure data systems remain responsive to changing social and economic contexts was recognized as critical to impactful change.

The conference provided a platform for cross-institutional dialogue and exchange, fostering shared learning across disciplines and sectors. Overall, the deliberations reaffirmed the central role of high-quality, inclusive, and gender-responsive data in supporting effective policymaking, monitoring progress, and advancing development outcomes.